Attribution Theory (Psychology) PDF

ATTRIBUTION Theory (Psychology)  Definition Humans are used to assign causes to their actions and behaviours In social psychology, attribution is the process by which individuals explain the reasons behind behaviour and events. Models to explain this process are called attribution th...

ATTRIBUTION Theory (Psychology)  Definition Humans are used to assign causes to their actions and behaviours In social psychology, attribution is the process by which individuals explain the reasons behind behaviour and events. Models to explain this process are called attribution theory Psychological research into attribution began with the work of Fritz Heider in the early 20th century, and the theory was further advanced by Harold Kelley and Bernard Weiner  Attribution Theory We make assumptions about the mental state of a person We try to explain/justify their behavior or actions Attribution Theory tries to explain how people make judgments about other people’s behavior which gives meaning to a given behavior According to this theory we attempt to determine whether an individual’s behavior is caused internally or externally It depends on three factors : Distinctiveness , Consensus, Consistency Types of Attribution (Internal & External)  Types of Attribution (Internal) You think it was under his personal control INTERNAL ATTRIBUTION or DISPOSITIONAL ATTRIBUTION Types of Attribution (External) If the person is always on time, and you attribute the incident as something unexpected Like Tyre Puncture or an Accident or Traffic Jam (Which is out of his control) You are making an External Attribution or Situational Attribution. Determining Factors  Distinctiveness Whether an individual displays different behaviour in different situations UNUSUAL BEHAVIOIUR is EXTERNALLY ATTRIBUTED Example a regular worker who always comes on time is late one day in such cases we are likely to make an external attribution. If a person is late everyday and is somebody who blows off commitments then we are likely to make an internal attribution.  Consensus  People facing a similar situation respond in the same way  If consensus is high, we give it an external attribution  If consensus is low, we give it an internal attribution  Example : The whole batch is given an assignment, the time given was less, but all of the batch except two students completed the assignment. The teacher is most likely to go for internal attribution and scold the two for not completing the assignment.  In the similar situation, if 28 students could not do it, the teacher is most likely to go for an external attribution and give you some more time for assignment completion.  Consistency How consistent are a person’s action? If the behaviour is consistent, we assume the causes are Internal else we attribute it to external causes A topper could not appear in an examination A party lover is not attending the party A racer wins a race A great singer gets selected in Indian Idol Factors  Distinctiveness: Is this how the person treats everyone or are you different?  Consistency: Has the person always treated you this way or is this different?  Consensus: Do other people do this same thing or is this really different?  Factors  Your classmate walks past you without saying hi.  Distinctiveness- Your explanation as to why he did this will be different if he does this to everyone in the class or just you  Consistency- Your explanation as to why he did this will be different if he always says hi to you or if you don’t really know each other.  Consensus - Whether you’re in Bombay vs. a college of 600 will change how you explain his behavior. Attribution Errors (Fundamental)  Bias Distort Attribution  While making Judgement about the behaviour of others, we tend to overestimate the influence of internal factors and underestimate the influence of external factors.  This is a Fundamental Attribution Error. Attribution Errors (Self Serving Bias)  The tendency for individuals to attribute their own success to internal factors and put the blame for failures on external factors is called SELF SERVING BIAS  Actor/Observer Difference People tend to attribute other people's behaviours to their dispositional factors while attributing own actions to situational factors. In the same situation, people's attribution can differ depending on their role as actor or observer This is the opposite used by us when we explain our own behavior. We overemphasize situational causes and downplay personality  Dispositional Bias  Dispositional attribution is a tendency to attribute people's behaviours to their dispositions; that is, to their personality, character, and ability.  For example, when a normally pleasant waiter is being rude to his/her customer, the customer may assume he/she has a bad temper  The customer, just by looking at the attitude that the waiter is giving him/her, instantly decides that the waiter is a bad person  The customer oversimplifies the situation by not taking into account all the unfortunate events that might have happened to the waiter which made him/her become rude at that moment  Therefore, the customer made dispositional attribution by attributing the waiter's behaviour directly to his/her personality rather than considering situational factors that might have caused the whole "rudeness" Effects of Attribution How we explain someone’s behavior affects how we react to it